Screenplay Structure Analysis

Eddington

Written by Ari Aster · Crime Thriller / Dark Political Drama · 148 pages · 168 scenes · 3-act natural structure

During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, a small-town New Mexico sheriff running for mayor against the incumbent becomes entangled in escalating violence when protests erupt and a double murder occurs, forcing him to cover up his own crimes while maintaining his campaign.

Tone
Bleak, satirical, morally corrosive, and increasingly nightmarish; a COVID-era western that descends from political tension into violent chaos

Tension curve

Dramatic intensity across Eddington from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 5.9, 6, 5.8, 5.4, 5, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9, 5.1, 4.3, 4.1, 4.6, 4.8, 4.8, 4.4, 4.2, 4.2, 5, 5.9, 6.2, 6.2, 6.3, 7, 7.5, 7.6, 7, 6.7, 6.9, 7.3, 7, 6.6, 6.9, 7.1, 7.6, 7.7, 8.2, 8.1, 7.3, 6.1, 5.5.

Structure at a glance

Inciting incident
Page 11, 7% of the script: Inside Garcia's bar, Ted Garcia pitches a Big Tech data center development to Phil and Warren, promising construction jobs and tax revenue with clawbacks, while Joe taps on the window outside then enters to remove Lodge from the premises.
Act 1 break
Page 57, 39% of the script: Joe hosts a disastrous family dinner that exposes his isolation and Louise's contempt, ending the setup phase before the murders occur.
Midpoint
Page 88, 60% of the script: Joe enters wearing two masks and a face shield; Lodge coughs at him repeatedly; Joe grabs Lodge's shirt and Lodge swings a vodka bottle onto Joe's head, shattering it; Joe shoots Lodge in the head.
Act 2 break
Page 113, 76% of the script: Michael escapes from jail and Joe's investigation collapses, propelling the story into its final violent spiral.
Climax
Page 130, 88% of the script: Joe enters the kitchen shirtless to find Louise holding two packed suitcases; she says she can't stay if it's not safe, and Joe tells her he's being punished; she asks if Vernon is responsible and whether Dawn could be involved, then Joe begs her not to leave.
Peak tension
8.2 out of 10, reached about 90% of the way through; the script averages 6.1.
Average scene length
1.3 pages

Structural personality

This script operates as a three-act descent into hell, structured around Joe's political campaign that becomes a murder cover-up. Act One (scenes 1-60) establishes the COVID-fractured town, Joe's mayoral ambition against Ted Garcia, and the brewing protest movement—culminating in the family dinner that reveals Joe's personal failures. Act Two (scenes 61-122) begins with Joe committing the double murder of Ted and Eric, then desperately framing Michael while maintaining his campaign; this act is defined by Joe's increasingly frantic attempts to control the narrative. Act Three (scenes 123-168) explodes into chaos when Michael escapes, leading to Joe's rampage through town and his ultimate physical and moral destruction. The structure mirrors a classic western revenge tale inverted—the 'hero' is the villain, and his victory is his damnation.

Pacing

The pacing is deliberately methodical in Act One, using short scenes (average 1.3 pages) to create a mosaic of small-town COVID life and political maneuvering. Act Two accelerates dramatically after the murders (scene 61), with interrogation scenes and investigative sequences building paranoid momentum. The final act (from scene 123 onward) becomes almost breathless—Joe's nighttime rampage through Eddington unfolds in rapid-fire scenes that rarely exceed a page, creating a fever-dream quality. Notable pacing shifts include the extended Town Hall sequence (scenes 64-74) that plays Joe's public humiliation in real-time, and the interrogation of Michael (scenes 109-122) which stretches tension through repetition and psychological pressure.

Themes

Similar shapes

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Scene summaries and structural markers are generated by AI analysis of the screenplay text and may contain minor inaccuracies. ScriptGraph analyzes structure and does not reproduce screenplay text.

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